Afghanistan 100m runner Kimia Yousofi sends Olympic message to the Taliban

August 8, 2024
 at the Stade de France
The Guardian
Fri 2 Aug 2024 10.53 EDT

The world’s fastest women flew down the Olympic straight in the 100m heats on the first morning of athletics at the Stade de France, but one carried a heavier burden. Kimia Yousofi, part of the six-person Afghan team competing in Paris, trailed the rest of the pack and finished two seconds behind the winner.

Afterwards, she held up words scribbled on an A4 piece of paper. “Education” written in black. “Sport” underneath it in green. In red, the third colour of the Afghanistan flag, “our rights”. “I have a message for Afghan girls,” she said. “Don’t give up, don’t let others decide for you. Just search for opportunity, and then use that opportunity,” she said.

The 28-year-old carried the country’s flag at the Tokyo Games, but fled to Iran when the Taliban took control in 2021. Her team in Paris is made up of three men and three women, selected by the Afghanistan Olympic Committee which operates outside the country. “I just want to represent Afghan people with this flag, our culture. Our girls in Afghanistan, our women, they want basic rights, education and sport,” she said.

Dual Olympian track sprinter Kimia Yousofi has been selected for Afghanistan at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Australia-based sprinter ‘honoured’ to represent oppressed women after making Afghan Olympic team

Amnesty International has described the Taliban’s restrictions on the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan as “draconian”. Public stoning for adultery was reintroduced in March. Yousofi said women are not considered human. “To be able to decide for their life, that has been taken away from them for the last two years. We are fighting for that.”

Of the six Afghan athletes in Paris, the Taliban recognises only the men. “Only three athletes are representing Afghanistan,” Atal Mashwani, the spokesperson of the Taliban government’s sports directorate, said last month, referring to the male competitors. Despite the potential for tension within the team, Yousofi said her male teammates support her. “The condition for many in Afghanistan also is terrible,” she said. “The problem for men is a little bit less, but they have problem as well for everything.”

When the Taliban came to power, the international sporting community worked to secure safe passage for athletes that may have been threatened by the new regime. Yousofi said she initially wanted to stay in Kabul but was advised she would not be safe. “I was just searching around for 10 days after I left Afghanistan. I was searching what should I do? What can I do?”

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) and successive governments worked together to secure a visa for her and her family in Australia, where they moved in 2022. The AOC chief executive, Matt Carroll, said her visa in Iran was only temporary, and a potential return to Afghanistan would have been extremely dangerous. “I’ll have to admit, I’ve never worked in this space before – getting people evacuated from countries,” the sports administrator said.

The Paris Games have espoused gender equality, promoting that half the athletes competing are women. Still coughing after the race from a combination of exertion and a dairy allergy, Yousofi was asked what she thought of that message. She said “in my mind I already have equal gender” and it was something on which others must reflect.

“Those people who don’t have this message, they think they can decide this for everyone. No, they can’t decide this for everyone,” she said. “This message is for them.”

Afghanistan 100m runner Kimia Yousofi sends Olympic message to the Taliban
read more

‘I fled Afghanistan to achieve my Olympic dream’

August 8, 2024
Kawoon Khamoosh
BBC World Service
6 August 2024

Manizha Talash knew the moment she first saw a video of a man spinning on his head that she would dedicate her life to breaking – a style of street dance.

But it is a dream for which she has risked her life, and the lives of her family, in order to fulfil. It has forced her to flee her country, and hide her identity.

Now, as she prepares to step out on the world stage at the Paris Olympics, Manizha reveals her fight to become Afghanistan’s first female breaker.

Manizha came to breaking late.

She had initially tried shoot boxing, turning to the Japanese martial art that mixes wrestling and kickboxing as a way to protect herself as she worked alongside her father, selling groceries from his cart in the streets of the capital Kabul.

But a few matches in, she broke her shoulder and had to give up.

Then, aged 17, she saw the video of the man on his head – and soon discovered the Superiors Crew, a breaking collective based in Kabul.

She fell in love.

“I couldn’t believe it was real,” she says.

At the same time, she heard breaking would make its debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The dream was born – she just had to get there.

But it clearly wasn’t going to be easy from the start.

She visited the Superiors Crew’s training club in western Kabul, which was considered the country’s pioneering centre for hip-hop and breaking, but it was not quite what she expected.

“When I entered the club it was full of boys,” Manizha recalls.

The Superiors Crew’s coach, Jawad Saberi, was also quick to size Manizha up too.

“She was so small,” he remembers. “I was doubtful because there were other b-girls who didn’t stay long,” he says, using the term for a female performer.

But her size was the least of their troubles.

Manizha’s passion, shared with Jawad and the Superiors Crew collective, was risky and people were unhappy about it.

“Everyone was judging me… my relatives were saying words behind my back and complained to my mother,” she recalls.

Outside of her immediate family, there were also comments made on social media – which she didn’t take seriously.

But then, in December 2020, a car bomb exploded near the club, bringing the violence which was killing so many across Afghanistan close to home.

“It really scared me,” she admits.

Yet it didn’t stop her. For Jawad, it was all he needed to know.

“We were under attack, but she came back,” he says. “I saw that she had a dream to go to Paris 2024 – she was fighting for it. I said: ‘She can do it.’ I saw the future.”

At home, things had taken a turn for the worse.

Her father had been abducted by insurgents. He has not been seen since.

She became the main breadwinner for her family – a portion of which she saved for training.

But within months of the car bomb, the club was forced to shut its doors.

This time, the threat had come inside.

“Security forces stormed our club, walked over to a man and put a hood on his head,” Manizha recalls. The man, they said, was a would-be suicide bomber who had been staking out the club for some time, planning an attack.

“They told us that this time we were lucky because there were people who wanted to bomb our club and if we loved our lives, we should shut it.”

Even now, Manizha did not stop breaking.

She did make one concession to the danger, however: Manizha changed her last name to Talash meaning “effort” or “hard work” in Farsi. It was a decision she hoped would protect her family in case they were threatened because of her link to the sport.

And then, that August, the Taliban returned.

Superiors Crew A car bomb exploded outside the club where Manizha trained in Kabul
A car bomb exploded outside the club where Manizha trained in Kabul

Suddenly, Manizha’s world – and the world of Afghan women and girls – began to contract.

They were barred from classrooms and gyms and told to wear top-to-toe clothing. Music and dancing were also effectively banned.

The breaking stopped.

The new restrictions forced Manizha and her friends to make a decision – they had to leave the country.

“If I’d stayed in Afghanistan, I don’t think I’d exist,” she says. “They’d execute me or stone me to death.”

Manizha and some members of the Superiors Crew, including Jawad, fled to Madrid in Spain.

They found work, and sent money home. But they also made connections with local breakers and practised anywhere they could – in clubs, on the streets and even in shopping malls.

It wasn’t easy.

“Every night when I got to bed, I’d struggle with lots of questions,” Manizha admits. “‘What can Afghan women do?’ I’d ask myself. ‘Why can’t I do something for them?'”

Superiors Crew Manizha celebrating her 18th birthday with some of the Superiors Crew in Kabul
Manizha celebrating her 18th birthday with some of the Superiors Crew in Kabul

She knew that, following the Taliban’s return, it would be almost impossible to compete for her home country in the Olympics. A small, gender-balanced team of six is taking part under the country’s former flag – put together by the exiled Afghan Olympic committee, with no link to the Taliban.

But Manizha found another route to Paris. She had discovered she was eligible to compete for the Refugee Olympic Team, for athletes whose home countries are experiencing conflict or civil war, making it too dangerous for them to return.

In May, she was one of the athletes selected to represent the Refugee Team at the Games and the International Olympic Committee helped arrange coaching for her.

“When they announced my name, I was happy and upset all at once,” Manizha says. “I was sad because when I left Afghanistan, I had to leave my family behind. I chose my goal over their safety.”

But as she prepares for her Olympic debut on Friday, Manizha can breathe a little easier.

When she walks out in Paris and onto screens across the world, her family will be safe.

Just after she was selected, they managed to flee Afghanistan. Finally, after two years of separation, the family was back together in Spain.

Manizha admits it is unlikely that she will take home a medal from Paris – she still needs to “make up for all those years I lost”. But then, getting a spot on the podium is not her priority.

“I’ll compete for my friends and for their dreams and hopes,” she says.

“The girls of Afghanistan will never surrender. Whatever pressure you put on an Afghan girl – restrict her, or even imprison her – she’ll definitely find a way out and will definitely achieve her goals. We fight and we will win.”

‘I fled Afghanistan to achieve my Olympic dream’
read more

Taliban says millions of Afghans returning home; IOM says millions leaving — who is right?

August 8, 2024
By Ayaz Gul

Voice of America

August 06, 2024

ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban said Tuesday that about 3.7 million former refugees have returned to the country since the Islamist group took power three years ago. The statement was a response to the International Organization for Migration, or IOM, which reported last week that more than twice as many Afghans have left the country since 2020.

Which side is correct? Possibly both.

The dispute began with a July 31 IOM report that said “nearly 8 million Afghans” have departed the country over the last four years.

Of those, said the IOM, 85% moved to neighboring countries, mostly Iran and Pakistan, and almost 1 million headed to Europe. The IOM said almost 70% of Afghans who went to Iran cited a lack of job opportunities as the main factor driving their migration.

The Taliban-run Ministry of Refugees and Returnees challenged the IOM figure, saying there has not been such a significant exodus of people from the country since the Soviet invasion and subsequent decade-long occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s.

“In the last three years alone, 3.7 million Afghan citizens have returned home, marking the first instance of such a substantial influx in the last 40 years in Afghanistan’s history,” the ministry declared.

The ministry accused the U.N. agency of issuing false and misleading figures to attract donor funding.

While neither side’s figure can be independently confirmed, it’s conceivable that both numbers are accurate.

Afghanistan has experienced significant outflows and inflows of people this decade. Many Afghans flee turmoil sparked by the withdrawal of the U.S.-led anti-terrorism coalition and the return to power of the Taliban, who continue to battle Afghan insurgent groups as well as sanctions imposed by Western countries over human rights concerns, mainly laws that ban women from most aspects of public life.

At the same time, many Afghans are getting a cold welcome in what they hoped would be countries of refuge. In its report, the IOM acknowledged that the number of Afghans repatriating from Iran “remains consistently high.” It stated that nearly 1 million Afghans came back home in 2023, with “70% being undocumented and 60% forcibly returned.”

Meanwhile, neighboring Pakistan reported this week that its crackdown on undocumented foreigners in the country has led to the repatriation of nearly 700,000 Afghans in the last 10 months. Another 1.4 million legal Afghan refugees remain in the country.

IOM and its partner agencies have repeatedly urged all countries to “immediately halt the forced returns of Afghans, both in the short and long term, until conditions are established to ensure safe, dignified, and voluntary returns, regardless of legal status.”

Climate change impact

Meanwhile, Save the Children reported Tuesday that extreme weather events forced at least 38,000 people, about half of them children, from their homes in Afghanistan in the first six months of this year.

The aid group said, “While most displacements in recent decades have been due to conflict, in 2022, climate disasters became the main reason people fled their homes and moved to other areas within Afghanistan.”.

The report noted that more than one-third of Afghans are facing crisis levels of hunger, driven mostly by climate shocks and high food prices.

Recent U.N. reports have cited drought as the main reason for disaster-driven displacement in Afghanistan, ranked as the sixth most vulnerable country to the impacts of climate change. The assessments found that 25 of the 34 Afghan provinces “face severe or catastrophic” drought conditions, affecting more than half the country’s more than 40 million population.

The Taliban reclaimed power in August 2021 from the then-internationally backed government in Kabul, as the United States and NATO troops withdrew from the country after almost two decades of involvement in the Afghan war.

No country has officially recognized the fundamentalist Taliban regime over its sweeping restrictions on women’s rights to education, employment, and public life, among other human rights concerns.

The international isolation has deterred potential partners from providing development assistance to help Taliban-ruled Afghanistan in addressing climate change and post-conflict reconstruction challenges.

Taliban says millions of Afghans returning home; IOM says millions leaving — who is right?
read more

Antony Blinken urged to halt US aid to Afghanistan

August 8, 2024
Khaama Press

Fox News reported that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been urged to halt U.S. aid to Afghanistan.

According to the media outlet, this request comes after the revelation that nearly $300 million in U.S. aid might have ended up in the hands of the Taliban.

Previously, the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) reported that two offices within the State Department failed to account for $293 million in U.S. aid to Afghanistan.

Two days ago, U.S. Senator Mike Braun, in a letter to Blinken, described this report as “profoundly alarming” and urged him to suspend U.S. aid to Afghanistan until the issue is resolved.

Senator Braun added that the State Department’s failure to adhere to anti-terrorism inspection standards has “strengthened the Taliban and other terrorist groups.”

He also emphasized that when funds intended for humanitarian and development purposes end up supporting terrorism and perpetuating violence and instability, it undermines U.S. national security.

The Republican senator requested in his letter that the Secretary of State implement corrective measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

This call to halt U.S. aid to Afghanistan comes as SIGAR noted in another report that the U.S. has provided approximately $21 billion in aid to Afghanistan over the past three years.

SIGAR stated that these funds have been spent on humanitarian, development, and infrastructure projects, the relocation and resettlement of refugees from Afghanistan to the U.S., and the repayment of Afghan currency reserves.

The ongoing concerns about U.S. aid to Afghanistan highlight significant issues in accountability and oversight, particularly with the risk of funds being misused or diverted to support terrorism.

The calls for halting aid underscore the necessity for stringent measures to ensure that humanitarian and development assistance achieves its intended goals without compromising security or stability.

Implementing robust oversight mechanisms will be crucial in safeguarding both U.S. interests and the intended beneficiaries in Afghanistan.

Antony Blinken urged to halt US aid to Afghanistan
read more

Afghanistan’s population census estimates 35.7 million amid controversy

August 8, 2024
Khaama Press

The Statistics and Information Authority of the Taliban has recently estimated Afghanistan’s population to be 35.7 million in the current solar year 1403.

The authority released the results of its census on Wednesday, August 7, showing that out of the total 35.7 million population of Afghanistan, 18.2 million are men and 17.5 million are women.

Previously, the Taliban’s Statistics and Information Authority had estimated Afghanistan’s population at 34.9 million for the year last solar year 1402.

The Taliban administration has not explained its census methodology, and it is unclear how this estimated figure of the total population of Afghanistan was derived.

This comes in contrast to surveys conducted by international organizations, which estimate Afghanistan’s population to be over 40 million.

The population census in Afghanistan has long been a subject of controversy and dispute. Different methods and tools used by various administrations have resulted in significantly varying estimates. The discrepancies in population figures have raised questions about the accuracy and reliability of the data provided by the authorities.

International organizations and independent experts have often criticized the lack of transparency and the potential political motivations behind the census figures.

Accurate population data is crucial for resource allocation, policy-making, and humanitarian efforts, making the need for a credible and transparent census process even more critical in the context of Afghanistan’s ongoing challenges.

Afghanistan’s population census estimates 35.7 million amid controversy
read more

Iran issues ultimatum for illegal migrants to leave by year-end

August 8, 2024
Khaama Press

In response to increasing reactions regarding the mistreatment of Afghan migrants in Iran, a senior security official has emphasized that “illegal” migrants must leave the country by the end of the current year.

On Wednesday, August 7, IRNA news agency, quoting Ahmad Reza Radan, the Chief Commander of Iran’s Law Enforcement Force, reported that “unauthorized” migrants must leave the country and return to their homeland by the end of the year.

He stated that the policy and plan are based on the return of all “unauthorized individuals” and stressed that “if they move towards the borders, they will be arrested and transferred to camps.”

This comes as a video showing the arrest and torture of an Afghan migrant teenager by Iranian security forces has sparked widespread reactions.

Recently, a video circulating on social media showed a teenager being beaten and tortured by Iranian police on a road.

Previously, the Ministry of Interior of the Islamic Republic had issued a statement emphasizing the expulsion of Afghan migrants, stating that “there is no capacity to accept Afghans in the country, and organizing those who are authorized to stay temporarily is necessary.”

It is worth noting that despite international calls to halt the expulsion of Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan, this process continues, with hundreds of individuals entering Afghanistan daily.

The ongoing expulsion of Afghan migrants from Iran, amid reports of mistreatment and torture, underscores a significant humanitarian crisis.

The Iranian government’s stringent policies and the recent viral video have drawn widespread condemnation and highlight the urgent need for international intervention.

Despite calls for halting deportations, the relentless return of Afghan migrants continues, posing severe challenges for the individuals affected and their home countries. The global community must advocate for the protection of migrant rights and address the underlying causes of this migration crisis.

Iran issues ultimatum for illegal migrants to leave by year-end
read more

Anas Haqqani: Violation of Human Rights of Afghan Migrants is Unacceptable

August 8, 2024
TOLOnews
TV Network
8 August 2024

Meanwhile, some social media users have launched a campaign to support Afghan migrants in Iran in response to the mistreatment by Iranian police.

The release of a video on social media showing the mistreatment of an Afghan teenager by Iranian police has sparked reactions. 

Anas Haqqani, a prominent member of the Islamic Emirate, said that xenophobia and the violation of the human rights of Afghan migrants are unacceptable.

Meanwhile, some social media users have launched a campaign to support Afghan migrants in Iran in response to the mistreatment by Iranian police.

Anas Haqqani wrote: “Xenophobia and the violation of the human rights of Afghan migrants are unacceptable. I hope this type of behavior will be stopped and held accountable.”

TOLOnews cannot confirm the exact time and place of the video showing an Iranian security officer mistreating an Afghan teenager.

In recent days, several other videos have been circulated on social media showing mistreatment of Afghan migrants. Some Afghan migrants in Iran have reported being harassed by Iranian citizens and police in recent weeks.

“When you encounter Iranian police, whether you have a passport or not, they beat you severely and then take you to the camp and deport you,” said Mohammad Akbar Sultani, an Afghan migrant in Iran.

Ahmad-Reza Radan, Iran’s chief commander of Law Enforcement, said that unauthorized migrants must leave Iran by the end of this year. Radan said that policies and programs are based on the return of all unauthorized citizens.

Iran’s chief commander of Law Enforcement said: “Regarding unauthorized foreigners, given that the policy and program are based on the return of all unauthorized foreigners to their countries, these individuals must leave the country by the end of the year and return to their countries.”

“Our request to organizations and institutions working in Afghanistan is to quickly implement support plans to prevent greater problems for Afghan migrants deported from Iran,” Ali Reza Karimi, a migrant rights activist, told TOLOnews.

The mistreatment of Afghan migrants in Iran has also triggered reactions from some social media users and Afghan citizens in other countries. Some have said that this behavior towards Afghan migrants is inhumane and against Islamic values.

Anas Haqqani: Violation of Human Rights of Afghan Migrants is Unacceptable
read more

The Taliban says people in Afghanistan on previous government’s visas can stay for now

August 8, 2024
Associated Press
 August 5, 2024
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghanistan’s Taliban government said Monday it would allow people in the country on visas issued by the former Western-backed government to stay for now, but that they wouldn’t be allowed back in without documents from a Taliban-approved diplomatic mission.

The announcement by the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry on the social media platform X clarified its July 30 announcement that it would no longer accept documents from consulates and diplomatic missions abroad staffed by member of the former government.

The move is part of the Taliban’s efforts to gain control of Afghanistan’s representation abroad since returning to power in 2021.

The Taliban’s blacklisting of diplomatic missions in Canada, Australia and several European countries means that many people may have to travel hundreds of even thousands of miles to get documents issued, renewed, or certified.

Documents from missions in the UK, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Norway, Sweden, Canada, and Australia are invalid unless they are registered with the ministry in Kabul, the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry said.

The documents otherwise are “invalid due to administrative corruption, lack of transparency and lack of coordination,” the ministry said. It said the documents were in “clear violation of principles,” but did not elaborate on what those principles are.

The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry, which operates diplomatic missions in countries including Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey, said Monday that its “acceptable” diplomatic missions in Europe are the consulate general in Munich, Germany and the country’s embassies in the Netherlands, Spain, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic.

A statement issued last week by a council representing ambassadors appointed by the previous government said those missions remain committed to providing consular services in collaboration with host country authorities.

“Regrettably, through their miscalculated and short-sighted actions, the Taliban have repeatedly created problems for Afghan refugees and citizens who reside outside their country,” the Coordination Council of Ambassadors and General Consulates of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan said in a statement.

The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to questions about the number of Afghans affected by the decision. It said online consular services were not yet available.

In March 2023, the Taliban said they were trying to take charge of more Afghan embassies abroad. Their chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the administration had sent diplomats to at least 14 countries.

Many Taliban leaders are under sanctions, and no country recognizes them as Afghanistan’s legitimate rulers.

Afghanistan’s seat at the United Nations is still held by the country’s former government, which was led by Ashraf Ghani, though the Taliban administration is seeking to claim that seat as well.

 

The Taliban says people in Afghanistan on previous government’s visas can stay for now
read more

Children displacement soars in Afghanistan due to climate change

August 8, 2024
Khaama Press

The Save the Children organization has announced that during the first six months of the current calendar year, at least 38,000 people, predominantly children, have been displaced in Afghanistan due to climate change.

The organization reported an increase in internal displacement in Afghanistan compared to 2023, highlighting the plight of internally displaced persons.

According to the report, the number of internally displaced persons in the first six months of 2024 exceeds the total for the entire previous year.

The report identifies drought, rising temperatures, floods, landslides, rainfall, and storms as major factors contributing to displacement in Afghanistan.

According to Save the Children, Afghanistan had over 747,000 displaced children due to natural disasters last year, making it the country with the highest number of child displacements globally, with children constituting 50% of these refugees this year as well.

Afghanistan is recognized as the sixth most vulnerable country to climate change impacts globally, with international organizations consistently warning of increasing humanitarian crises resulting from this phenomenon.

Previously, Save the Children had reported that ongoing floods in Afghanistan have left 40,000 children homeless and claimed the lives of 200 children.

The situation in Afghanistan underscores the urgent need for global attention and support to mitigate the effects of climate change, particularly on vulnerable populations such as children, who are disproportionately affected by natural disasters. Immediate action and international cooperation are crucial to addressing these humanitarian challenges and ensuring the safety and well-being of Afghan children.

Children displacement soars in Afghanistan due to climate change
read more

Taliban suspends licenses of 17 local media outlets in Nangarhar province

August 8, 2024
Khaama Press

The Afghanistan Journalists Center reported that the Taliban Ministry of  Communications and Information Technology has suspended the licenses of 17 local media outlets in Nangarhar province.

The ministry stated that the licenses of these media outlets were suspended due to non-payment of taxes.

According to the Afghanistan Journalists Center, the Taliban’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has warned that these media outlets will not be allowed to operate until they settle their “frequency tax” dues.

The Afghanistan Journalists Center expressed concern on Monday, August 5, over the suspension of activities of these media outlets and criticized the Taliban ministry’s decision as unfair. They urged Taliban authorities to reconsider their decision.

The Afghanistan Journalists Center reported that since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the operations of private television station Enikas Radio and Nargis and Islah radios in Nangarhar province have been halted.

The center added that currently, 14 radios are active in this province.

The report stated that the Taliban has not yet halted the publications of these media outlets but has warned their owners that if they do not pay the obligatory taxes, their publications will be stopped.

This organization supporting media outlets mentioned that radios and local television stations in Nangarhar, as a first-class province, are obligated to pay an annual tax of 108,000 Afghanis. The center acknowledges that these media outlets owe back taxes ranging from one to ten years.

The suppression of independent media and restrictions on journalism have intensified in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, leading to concerns about press freedom and access to information.

The international community has raised alarms about the deteriorating situation of media freedom in Afghanistan and has called on the Taliban to uphold press freedoms and allow journalists to operate without fear of reprisals or censorship.

Taliban suspends licenses of 17 local media outlets in Nangarhar province
read more

Recent Posts